2013 Vermont City Marathon - Half Recap

Tom and I flew up to Vermont last weekend to run in the Vermont City Marathon. I have run some part of it since 2007, but it's been about that long since Tom has run in it himself.

We left the warm weather of DC (80s) and stepped off the plane to rain and 40 degree weather in Vermont. Why Vermont? Why?

On Saturday we visited the expo and lucked out with few crowds. Last year was a mess, and we heard that  Friday night was the equivalent of hell. We were able to take our time to check out the booths, and even got to catch up with friends who were picking up their marathon packets.

The goodie bag was great this year. I like the new shirt design and all of the Vermonty samples that were inside (including the beef jerky for Tom).

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It was still raining on Sunday morning. Needless to say, I was dreading the race and having to be out in the cold for that long. That morning Tom and I decided that I would run the first leg, which I hadn't run since 2010.

I was shivering ferociously at the start, but warmed up once I got running. My goal was to maintain 7 minute pace for as long as I could. I quickly spotted two ladies with Boston shirts and stayed with them for the first 5 miles.

The beltway was a unique experience this year due to the wind, but thankfully I had a bunch of tall guys around me. I scooted in behind them, adjusted to their pace, and used them as a wall against the wind. I felt bad doing it, but seriously, I am 5'4" and they are 6'. Who is going to be a better wall against the wind?

Mile 6 came and it was time to refuel. I tried to take out my GU and failed.

It was hilarious.

My hands were stuck. I couldn't move them because it was too cold and I hadn't moved them since the start. I dubbed them my "claw hands". It took a mile for me to get them moving again and to be able to reach into my pocket to get the Gu. By that point we got to the 1/2 mile hill up the Beltline. My split slowed more than I wanted it to, to a 7:23.

Running down Church Street for the 2nd time felt wonderful, especially after the hill. I let my legs go, and brought my splits back down. After that, the course took us through some neighborhoods that bring back horrible memories of my first half marathon that I ran in 2008. Back then I went out at the same pace as this one, but was NOT in shape to go out that fast. It was the worst running experience and I had to run and walk for the last 3 miles.

This Sunday, however, I felt really great by that point. In fact, I freaked out a little at mile 11 because I only had 2 miles to go and knew I had more in me. It was wonderful!

Until mile 12.9.

And THE WORST cramp of my life hit my side. What does one do when they are 0.2 miles from the finish with a cramp?

They don't walk. That's for sure!

My stomach felt like it was ripping. I pushed on it with my right hand, and was happy to find Tom ready and waiting at the exchange zone. I finished with a new PR, somewhere around a 1:32:35 (AAAHHHH I mistakenly wrote 2:32 before!). It isn't official, but that's what my Garmin said by the time I stopped it. It also says that I ran 13.2 mile, not 13.1.

I was happy with my mile average, but want more consistent splits next time. It was a more difficult course than the Nike WMH and has more elevation changes. Perhaps the cold, rainy weather was to the better after all!

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Back to the race - Tom flew off. By that point, the rain really seemed to have stopped, but my clothes were all wet. I headed to the finish and was so happy to have the heated bus. It wasn't long before Tom came FLYING down the chute. He ended up finishing his half with a 7 minute PR!

I counted a few relay teams ahead of us, and knew we were up there, but wasn't sure our exact standings. It turns out that the Dynamic Shoe-O came in 2nd place for the mixed two person relay teams! We had a finishing time of 2:52.

I say it every year, and this year was no different. The finish line food is the best at the VCM: Leonardo's Pizza and Ben & Jerry's. As soon as we had our pizza the sun came out. And the people around us cheered. Not for the runners, but because the sun had returned!

Monday morning: one day after the race. The bluest sky you could ask for!

Random thoughts about the race:

• The volunteers were awesome for standing out in that weather for us.
• Crowds were smaller this year, but I was appreciative of everyone who came out to cheer.
• Not only did they have chocolate milk at the finish, but they also had SOY chocolate milk! 
• At one point on the Beltline I noticed that one of the water stations was NOT keeping up with the flow of people and a bunch of people were not getting any. 
• It appears that Marathon Foto did not get any photos of us running or finishing. Bummer. 
• This was the first half in which I didn't take any water or Gatorade. I liked not having to do it. 
• The half-marathon distance is definitely my favorite distance. 

Will we be back next year? Not sure. Will I be back ever again? OH YES! 

KBVCM Half Marathon Recap

I know I'm going to jinx it by saying this - but Vermonters have been so lucky over the last three weekends - being blessed with absolutely gorgeous weather. Yesterday seemed to be perfect for the Vermont City Marathon. The sun was out, but the humidity wasn't.

Rachel and I met up before the 8:00 start. She ran the first half of the marathon, and I ran the second. I got to cheer for her as she came off of Church Street the first time around, then made my way to the buses that would drop us off at Oakledge.

I made it just in the nick of time too! I didn't wait too long before Rachel came running in, finishing around a 1:37 for her half. Pretty sweet!

All morning my stomach was feeling funky, and unfortunately I had a few cramps at the start. One of them got so bad that I walked around mile 4 for a few seconds. Those seconds were all I needed to relax my body and get rid of the cramp. Burlington has been the only place that has plagued me with cramps. I really don't do anything different there than I do any other day, so I'm either putting too much pressure on myself (causing me to tense up), or my straight out and backs don't prepare my body for all of the turns that take place on the course. The only other time I had to stop was to tie my shoe around mile 10. It's the first time that I can think of that I've had to do that mid race. Ugh!

As you can see from above, my splits seemed to be a little bonkers. I actually don't know my official time because every time I stopped I automatically stopped my watch and then restarted it. So miles 4 and 10 could be a few seconds slower than what is noted above. I am assuming that my time was a 1:37:XX because our final net time was 3:14:40 (gun time was 3:14:49).

Random Thought I had during the Race: Hunger Games. I read the second book last week and started the third on Saturday so it must have still been on my mind. There was one point in the race when I started to connect what I was doing (running) to what the Tributes did in the Hunger Games.

Another Random Happening:  I am very curious to know who the announcer was at the finish. As I was approaching the finish line he announced our team name (Kickin' Asphalt) but said that I was from Milton, where I grew up, not where I reside. I know that I did not write Milton when I registered. So whoever it was knows who I am!

You're going to love my dorky-ness in the photo below (chocolate milk in left hand and bag tag at the shoulder). You would think that if I ask for a photo to be taken that I would at least make it a better one...

Rachel and I were super excited to get our hands on the free Ben & Jerry's ice cream at the food tent. I've got to say that Burlington has some of the best food for finishers out of all of the races I have run. Boston was slacking this year (who wants dinner rolls?!). There was even Leonardo's pizza yesterday, although I have to admit that it did not look as appetizing as I had hoped. Even though I normally can't get enough chocolate and cheese, I prefer to stay away from those things after a run.

We hit up the beer tent for our free pint, and enjoyed the sun for a while. I departed Rachel and her friends to head to another friend's house for the annual post-marathon BBQ. SO much fun!! I look forward to this weekend every year: A weekend of running, friends, and a kickoff to the summer. 

KBVCM Half Marathon Tomorrow

I'm all set to run the second half of the KeyBank Vermont City Marathon tomorrow with Rachel, the same Rachel that ran Boston. Last night I picked up our race packets from the Expo. Talk about chaos.... I don't know how Boston is able to easily give out packets to 25,000 people yet there is such a mess at the VCM expo with only 7000 runners. The other let down of the expo? No Ben & Jerry's. Seriously, what. The. Heck. I was looking forward to it all day. They give it out every year, but I guess it was too much to have it at both the Expo AND the finish line.

I am always excited to peek into the bags to see what we get for goodies. This year wasn't bad. Actually, I think I like it a lot better than Boston's race packet this year (who thought of putting rice into Boston's bag?!) Some of the goodies included a gel shot, a Vermont magazine (that I haven't opened), an awesome sticker, and my favorite - the square of Lake Champlain Chocolate. I'm not sure how I feel about the new shirt design, but it does make it easier to wear it out in public and it seems super light. I suppose I'll have to get used to the absence of the VCM logo that is usually prominently displayed everywhere.

Tomorrow marks my third half marathon at the VCM. I did a relay team one year (with 4 other runners) and have run the full thing twice. I definitely think the half is my favorite, especially when coming off Boston. For one, I know I have the endurance to get me through it. It also feels easier because it is half the distance. The other nice thing about a half is that I can actually walk the next day! 

I'll let you know how it goes. Hope you're all enjoying your Memorial Day weekend. The weather in VT is perfect!!

Corporate Cup and Weekly Training

It turns out that the lead-legs I had two weeks ago were gone when last week rolled around. Although I didn't run as much as I would have liked to over the course of the week, my time at the Corporate Cup made up for it.

The extent of my weekly training

Over the years I have found that in order to have a successful race you have to know that you're going to have an awesome race before you start running. Every part of your body has to believe in your ability. When you're in that race, every part of your mind has to be focused on what you're doing. And it has to come naturally, without you actually thinking about doing it. In the race wind doesn't matter, the runners around you don't matter, nor do the fit of your sneakers. The race flies by, not because you're running so fast, but because your whole mind and body are fully immersed in the run. 

And that is just what happened last Thursday. 

Of course, a few Reese's Peanut Butter cups before the race didn't hurt either ;) Nor did my new fancy Old Navy shirt. 

My final time was a 20:29 which was good enough for 6th female. What made this time so special for me is that it was the first 5K post-tachycardia ablation that was back at my "college running days" pace. It is possible that a real warm-up before the race helped to lower my time or that my training was better this year after the marathon. Either way, it was nice to see a 5K time faster than 21:00. The surgery itself probably did not cause me to run slower. It's more likely that I did not completely believe in myself over the last three years, thus running slower. 

Needless to say, I am very thankful that I can run today without having to worry about my heart. And it is exciting to see what I am capable of in each of my races.

Up Next: Keybank Vermont City Marathon (Half Marathon) on Sunday

P.S. Did anyone watch Idol this year? It took me so long to write this post because I was watching the finale. I know people are going to say that Jessica is a much better singer, but I personally loved Phillip from day one and am so happy he won!!